Celebrate electric vehicles at Downtown Park event

Celebrate electric vehicles at Downtown Park event

What do you get when you cross an environmental fair with a car show? You might get something like the free upcoming event at Downtown Park to mark National Drive Electric Week.

The City of Bellevue is hosting the gathering, 4-7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 11, at the park, next to the waterfall. It’s an opportunity to check out a variety of electric vehicles, learn more about the technology and talk to electric car owners who use their cars every day. Participants will also get to hear from several speakers, including Mayor John Stokes, beginning at 5 p.m.

The city has been a leader in promoting the adoption of electric vehicle technology.

As of 2016, there were 641 electric vehicles registered to Bellevue residents.

There are more than 175 public charging stations in Bellevue, 23 of which are city-owned. And the city is working with Puget Sound Energy to expand the network.

Bellevue was the first test city for King County Metro’s all-electric Proterra bus.

The city is home to two of the biggest electric car dealerships in the nation: Bellevue Nissan on Eastgate Way and Tesla Bellevue Square. Tesla recently opened a second location on Northeast 20th Street.

Bellevue aims to increase the use of alternative fueled vehicles to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. More than 40 percent of local emissions are from vehicles.